


Coat

by Inkandquills, writersstudy



Series: Inktober 2019 [27]
Category: UNB (Band)
Genre: Adoption, Child Abandonment, Foster Care, Gen, Homelessness, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ji Hansol - Freeform, Lee Euijin - Freeform, M/M, in ch 1, mentions of hospital
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-05 11:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21207677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkandquills/pseuds/Inkandquills, https://archiveofourown.org/users/writersstudy/pseuds/writersstudy
Summary: Inktober 2019, Day 27!Prompt: CoatGroup: UNBPairing: Feeldog/Chan (platonic in chapter 1)A: Yuchan was so, so cold.M: Yuchan didn't regret not bringing a coat but Feeldog did.[[PLEASE NOTE THAT WE, THE AUTHORS, HAVE NOT GIVEN PERMISSION FOR THIS WORK TO BE RE-POSTED ANYWHERE EXCEPT DIRECTLY ON AO3. IF YOU SEE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE, PLEASE REPORT IT FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND NOTIFY US AT LIVING.LENIENTLY@GMAIL.COM. THANK YOU.]]





	Coat

**Author's Note:**

> We apologize for posting these chapters so late. Thank you for understanding!

It was about ten at night when Gwangsuk found him. He was getting ready to close the cafe, wiping down the machines and counters. All of the table were already cleaned and the chairs stacked. He had five minutes before he could leave when he heard the bell on the door chime. He turned, expecting to see a tired college student dragging themselves in for a late minute espresso, but instead he saw...no one. Suddenly, a tiny hand popped over the edge of the counter and tossed a couple of crumpled bills as far as it could reach. Gwangsuk leaned over the counter and looked down to find a tiny boy standing there.  
The boy couldn’t have been older than five and was dressed in a threadbare tee shirt and a pair of shorts, despite it New Year’s Eve. His hair was long, knotted, and unruly, and his face was covered in dirt. He was clearly homeless, and with no parents in sight. Gwangsuk fixed a smile on his face and rounded the counter to crouch down in front of the boy. From a closer angle, he could tell that the boy’s lips were blue and he was shivering violently.  
“What can I get for you, kiddo?” he asked gently, “you look chilly. Maybe hot cocoa?” The boy nodded shyly.  
“Have enough?” he asked in a small voice. Gwangsuk swiped the few bills off of the counter and handed them back to the boy.  
“It’s a present,” he said with a smile, “why don’t you sit here and I’ll bring it to you, okay?” He pulled down the chairs on a two-person table. Striding over to the door, he flipped the sign and the lock and grabbed a booster seat. He helped the boy into the seat before going to make the hot chocolate. While the milk was steaming, he grabbed his cell phone and called the police. The kid was clearly alone, and if he wasn’t, his parents were letting him wander around alone at night with barely any clothes on. Either way, some authority above him needed to be involved.  
He called the non-emergency line, since the boy didn’t seem to be injured, and the dispatcher said she would send someone over. Once he put the phone down, Gwangsuk finished brewing the hot chocolate and carried it over to the table with a straw. He disappeared into the back room for a moment and emerged with a sweatshirt, one that he kept for early summer days when the A/C was a bit too powerful. The kid didn’t seem to mind Gwangsuk moving him around to put the sweatshirt on, so he did just that. Once he was done, he grabbed his own mostly-cold coffee and sat across the table.  
By the time the police showed up, Gwangsuk managed to learn that the boy’s name was Yuchan, that he was, in fact, five years old today, and that he was scared because he’d been waiting for his momma a few blocks away and wandered away from where she told him to stay. He was scared she’d be mad at him. When Gwangsuk asked when he last saw his momma, the boy shrugged and said he hadn’t seen her since it was warm out. Gwangsuk tried asking where Yuchan had gotten the money from, but the officer showed up before the boy could answer. Immediately, Yuchan cowered behind Gwangsuk until the officer, who introduced himself as Officer Ji Hansol, crouched down to his level and carefully coaxed him out.  
“I’ve called Child Protective Services and they’re on their way,” the officer informed Gwangsuk, “it’ll be about half an hour if you’re able to wait that long. They’ll want to take a statement from you as well.” Gwangsuk nodded and offered Hansol a coffee, since they were there anyway. He could always clean the machines again. He turned some of the lights off, leaving just the back ones by the counter on to indicate that they were closed.  
Hansol tried asking Yuchan the same questions that Gwangsuk had, but the boy was all clammed up now. Whoever he’d been staying with previously had clearly taught him to be wary of cops. Instead, Gwangsuk answered for him, letting the boy sit on his lap and munch on a cookie while he did so. He told Hansol everything he’d managed to get out of the boy, but it wasn’t much. Hansol left for a moment and returned with the computer from his patrol car.  
“It is him!” he exclaimed after pulling up a few pages, “the kid’s mother abducted him from where he was staying with his dad back in March and we hadn’t been able to trace either of them since. We picked her up at the beginning of September, but she told us the kid was dead. Said she knew his dad would get custody in the divorce and couldn’t let that happen. Once CPS gets here, I’ll have them get in touch with him.” Gwangsuk looked down at the boy in his lap.  
“You excited to go back to your daddy, kiddo?” The reaction was instantaneous. Yuchan began screaming and crying, protesting that he didn’t want to go with his daddy because his daddy would hurt him. He tried to get away from Gwangsuk, who held him tighter and did his best to calm the boy down.  
Of course, it was then that CPS decided to finally show up. Hansol got up to let the social worker into the cafe, taking care to lock the door behind him.  
“He matches the profile of a kid that’s been missing since March,” Hansol said, describing the case briefly to the social worker, adding, “when we suggested getting him back to his dad, he went ballistic. Clearly, his mom didn’t give us accurate information when we picked her up, but there was definitely something going on. He keeps saying his dad will hurt him.” The social worker, who introduced himself as Lee Euijin, carefully took the boy from Gwangsuk’s arms and, with the cafe owner’s permission, disappeared into the back room to talk to Yuchan privately. Gwangsuk grabbed his phone again to let his friends know that he wasn’t going to make it to their party, and refilled his and Hansol’s coffees. What felt like hours later, Euijin emerged with Yuchan dozing on his shoulder.  
“I’ve called an ambulance,” he said, “the coat and the drink definitely helped a bit, but he’s still hypothermic and I’m worried he may have frostbite somewhere that I can’t see. He’s very adamant about not seeing his dad, so we’re going to hold off on contacting him and put through the paperwork to take him as a ward of the state. We’ll also contact his mother’s lawyer in the morning. For now, we need to get him checked out and warmed up.” He said it more to Hansol than to Gwangsuk, which was understandable but still a little irritating.  
“Is it alright if I tag along?” the man asked, “I want to make sure he’s okay.” Euijin’s face gave him a clear answer.  
“I’m sorry, it’s against our regulations,” he said apologetically, “but we’ll be looking to place him in foster care as soon as possible. I can leave you the forms and you can bring them to my office tomorrow if that’s something you’re interested in.” Gwangsuk understood that it was the only way he’d be able to disclose anything about Yuchan’s condition once they left the cafe. And, if Gwangsuk was being honest, he was interested. He was nearing thirty now, with a stable business, no partner, and a desire to finally settle down. Maybe fostering a child could help him just as much as it could help Yuchan. He gladly took the papers from Euijin, following him and Hansol out so that he could lock the doors and head to his apartment above the cafe.  
He closed the cafe the next day, for a “family emergency,” and headed down to the CPS office as early as he could. The sooner he got the paperwork in, the faster he could get approved and the less time Yuchan would spend in a state facility.  
Euijin was very patient and understanding. He went over Gwangsuk’s paperwork with a fine tooth comb, checking on any and every detail that could possibly be questioned. He expedited the background check and, after only a few hours in the tiny office, he was sending through the application, specially marked for Yuchan.  
“He had some frostbite on his feet, but nothing too severe. His shoes were the only thing protecting him really. He also has quite a bit of windburn on his legs, arms, and face, but all in all, minor injuries for what he’s been through,” Euijin explained quietly as he worked. He could get in trouble if anyone overheard, but the chance of Gwangsuk not getting approved was very minimal, so he was willing to take the risk.  
“And his mom?” Gwangsuk asked.  
“We contacted her attorney this morning,” Euijin said, “she was charged on counts of child endangerment, murder first degree, plus some prostitution charges on top of that. If they appeal to get the murder charge dropped, they’d get slammed with a charge for perjury and neglect. It would pan out to about the same, so it doesn’t seem like they’ll be taking any action at this point. If that changes, we’ll make sure you know.” Gwangsuk nodded in understanding. He was grateful that Euijin seemed so dedicated to making sure that Yuchan ended up in a good place. The social worker explained that, once the background check came back positive, there would be a site inspection of his home and likely of the coffee shop as well, before Gwangsuk could be approved. If everything went through and Yuchan went to live with him, Euijin would then help him with applications to get the boy into school, as well as all the paperwork for the applicable government assistance.  
The background check did indeed come back positive. A week later, Gwangsuk was showing Euijin and one of his superiors around his apartment. It wasn’t large, but it did have a second room that he’d been using as an office where Yuchan would be able to stay, and it was cozy and warm with steady income to pay the rent and utilities. There was a park nearby and the building was within a good school district, although Gwangsuk had plans to send Yuchan to a private academy anyway, so he could have extra help catching up with his peers. With a wide smile, Euijin informed Gwangsuk that he had passed and that they would be filing the approval paperwork immediately. In the meantime, he was to prepare his apartment for the five year old. There would be a final inspection when Euijin came to drop Yuchan off, but he was fully approved otherwise.  
“Yuchan’s really excited to see you again,” he disclosed on his way out, “he keeps asking when he gets to hang out with cocoa man.” Gwangsuk couldn’t help but smile at that.  
“I can’t wait to see him again either,” he admitted. In such a short time, he’d really come to care for the boy and it had been nerve-wracking not being able to see for himself that Yuchan was okay.  
When the day finally arrived, Gwangsuk was beyond anxious. In the few weeks since he’d first seen the boy, Yuchan had made a complete turnaround. He was clean, his hair trimmed up, and his clothes appropriate for the weather. More than that, he had put on weight and there was color in his cheeks. He all but threw himself at Gwangsuk when the man let him and Euijin into the apartment, babbling about how excited he was. Leaving the boy’s backpack on the couch, Gwangsuk showed him his room and all the clothes and toys in his closet. After a final approval paper signed, Euijin left and then it was just them.  
“Do you like your new room?” Gwangsuk asked as he sat Yuchan down with a bowl of mac and cheese. The boy nodded happily as he dug in.  
“It’s so big!” he exclaimed through a mouthful of pasta. Gwangsuk chuckled and reached over to ruffle the boy’s hair.  
“Welcome home, Yuchan-ah,” he said, “welcome home.”


End file.
